Socket support for lighting fixtures



Sept. 29, 1931. l. WLARSKY 1,825,641

SOCKET SUPPORT FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Oct. 15. 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 4 1 5/ 4/ Pg g5 45 40 Z5 8 fin r 24 Z3 2/ 5' I 40 1 do 21 mm": W

T 30 54 55 ml INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1931. l. WOLARSKY 1,325,641

SOCKET SUPPORT FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES Fil 0011. 15, 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR bidore H o /arJ/rj BY 29 M ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT QFF'I'CE IsIDo'Ri: WOLARsKY, or'MoUnT vaanoa, NEW YORK, A'ssIGnor. or ONE-sonar T01: JOHN M. COLE, or NEW YQRK, Nix.-

SOCKET surrorur roa LIGHTING rix'ruans Application filed October 15, 1927. Serial No. 226,384.

The present invention relatesto socket supports for lighting fixtures and is more par tic'ularlyt directed toward-devices for supporting lamp sockets in lighting fixtures,

? With'the rear of the socket held in the wiring chamber and the contacts exposed for the insertion of alamp;

a Kit'chenfixtures and beam lights now in common use generally consist of two sheet is metal stampings, the upper one of which is in the form of acanopy,.the lower one in'the form of a shade support or an ornamental lamp adapter. In thesecasesthe two stampings areprovided'with interior flangeswhich are fastened together by rolling the metal of one fian e onto the other flange, or by eye lets, or the like. Other fixtures, suchas porcelain brackets,,have a thickinternalflange adapted-to hold a por'eelainswitch or socket.

26 Wherea pull chain switch is used, the upper stamping or porcelain body is provided'with a-- hole above the flange to accommodate the pullchain. 1

The location of these'pull chain holes has not been'standardized by the various manufacturers of these stampings, castings and fixture; parts,with the unavoidable and annoying result that the elevation of these holes varies considerably,especially in-the stamp b ings, even those received from one manufacturer. V

The'various devices'now available'for fastening lamp sockets in fixtures ofthe-class above referred to,-make no-provision for ad justably mounting the lamp sockettoalign may be necessary to bring the parts into alignment. 7

The present invention contemplatesxa socket support especially suitable for the above purposes whichmay support the socket '45 at the desired elevation to align the parts-and permit easy operation of the pull chain switch. I The present invention also contemplates the provision of a lighting fixture having meansfor easily attaching, the lamp'socket so that it fixedly and immovably supported in the proper place in thefixture.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide asimple socket supporting device more especially adapted for the above purposes which' device may include in addition to the standard socket shell and pull chain, switch, astamplng capableof being attached The accompanying drawings show, for

purposes of illustrating the invention, several of the many possible embodiments in which theinventionmay. take form, it being understoodthat the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather thanlimit'ing thesame.

Inthese drawings:- 7 H Figure 1 is an elevationalview'of a lighting fixture, such as a kitchen unit,-made up of two stamped parts, and having a lamp socket mounted in these parts-by one form of the present holder;

FigureQ is an elevationah view of a blank from w hich one of the stampings usedinthe presentinvention may be formed; v

Figure 3 is aperspective view of the completed stamping made up from the blank shown'in Figure 2;

V Figure 4 is a top plan-view of the socket and the supporting parts taken in the direction'of thearrow 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional viewshowing a detail of construction;

Figure 6 is a sectional view illustrating a modified form of supporting device;

Figure 7 is aview similar to Figure 1 but showing the support for the lampsocket permanently fastened to the stampings;

FigureS is a sectional view of the upper stamping taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a form of blank for use with the structure illustrated in Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view illustratin the fastening of a lamp socket in a porce ain fixture and the supporting of a lass shade from the socket; and

igure 11 is a developed view of a form of blank suitable for the stamped support of the form illustrated in Figure 10.

The form of construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, is more particularly adapted for use by electricians, fixture dealers and assemblers who assemble and wire fixtures by mounting lamp sockets in the stamped shells.

The kitchenunit illustrated in Fi re 1 consists of an upper or canopy stamping and a lower or shade supporting stamping 21. The stampings 20 and 21 have interior flanges 22 and 23, and in the form here illustrated the flange 23 is passed inside the flange 22 and pressed over onto the top of this flange as indicated at 24 so as to fasten the two stampin s together. A pull chain hole 25 is placed in the upper stamping a short distance above the flanges and directly underneath this pull chain hole, the flanges are preferably bent upwardly as indicated at 26 in the left side of Figure 1.

The blank 30 shown in Figure 2 is in the form of a flat ring whose outside diameter is slightly smaller than the inside of the canopy stamping 20 adjacent the flange. As

i here shown this blank has two transverse members 32 and 33 extending across the central part of the same and four prongs 34 extending inwardly from the ring toward the center. The transverse straps and 33 are out free from the ring in the opposite ends as indicated. The blank is also provided with aligning notches 35 preferably placed midway between the transverse straps 32 and 33. These straps are provided with rows of holes indicated at 36. The finished stamping is illustrated in Figure 3, wherein it will be seen that the stamping has a fiat ring portion 30, two oppositely located parallel upright members or posts 32 and 33 and four downwardly extending prongs 34. The ring 30 will have aligning notches 35 midway between the posts 32 and 33 and these posts or uprights will have the apertures 36 near their upper free ends.

The socket shell 40 and pull chain socket switch 41 may be of any ordinary construction, but instead of using the ordinary socket cap having a threaded bushing, the present invention contemplates the provision of a special socket cap such as illustrated at 42 in Figures 1 and 4. This socket cap may comprise two stampings 43 and 44. The inner stamping 43 is provided with rectangular openings 45 such as are proi'ided on lamp socket caps for the purpose of coupling the cap and shell. The outer stamping 44 is secured to the inner stamping and is inwardly flanged as indicated at 46 to hold an insulating washer 47 in place above the porcelain part of the socket switch. The stamping 44 is also provided at its opposite sides with pairs of prongs or ears indicated at 48 and 49. If desired, a single stamping may be provided with the openings 44 and the ears 48 and 49.

lVhen one desires to assemble a fixture using the form of construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the wires are attached to the binding posts in the socket and are passed out through the hole 50 in the washer 47. The wired switch is inserted in the shell and the cap 42 is then snapped in place on the shell 40 in such a position that the prongs 48 and 49 are at right angles to the horn 51 for the pull chain. The stampings, illustrated in Figure 3, is fastened in place in the fixture as illustrated in Figure 1 by placing the ring 30 on top of the flanges 22 and 23 in such a position that the upwardly bent portion 26 of these flanges enters one of the aligning notches 35, after which the prongs 34 are bent over against the opposite side of the flange thereby securely fastening the ring 30 in place. It will be noted that the two upright members 32 and 33 extend upwardly into the canopy stamping, and that the pull chain hole 25 is centered between these uprights. The lamp socket, assembled as de scribed, is then passed down through the ring 30. The uprights and 33 are spread sufficiently topermit passing the prongs 48 and 49 through the appropriate holes 46 in the upright members so that the socket is mounted at the desired height to place the pull chain horn 51 ad 'acent the pull chain hole 25. One may then bend over the ends of the prongs 48 and 49 as indicated in Figure 4 so as to prevent the accidental removal of the socket cover from the supporting uprights.

It will be noted that this form of construction is one in which the lamp socket may be securely fastened in place so that it can not turn on its axis when the lamps are being screwed into or out of the socket. Also that the device permits the fastening of lamp sockets in place at various elevations to take care of the irrgularities found in commercial stampings used in fixtures of this type. Inasmuch as this form of construction does not utilize the threads 40', present on lampsocket shells, it will also be apparent that these threads are available for use.

In the form of construction illustrated in Figure 6, the socket supporting parts are modified so that they will not only su port the socket in the canopy but also will asten a ball lamp adapter or other stamping in place. In this form of construction, the canopy 52 may be provided with an interior flange 52, chain hole 53 and aligning projection 54: underneath the chain hole. The socket and socket shell 40 may be the same as shown and described above. This form of construction also utilizes a stamping 55 which is similar to the stamping illustrated in Figure 3. It has a flat ring 30 adapted to rest on top of the flange 52 and uprights 56 provided with slots 56 to accommodate screens 56" threaded into the socket cap 57. A stamping 58, which may be in the form of a ball lamp adapter, shade support or other device, is provided with a flange illustrated at 58, and a threaded ring 59 is adapted to cooperate with the threads 40 on the socket shell so that the parts may be clamped together as illustrated. In this form of construction, it will be noted that the socket is secured in place and at the same time the two stampings are coupled together by means of ring 59.

The form of construction illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and9 is more particularly 1ntended for use by fixture manufacturers. Here the upper stamping 60 and lower stamping 61 may be of the ordinary form except that they are provided with flanges62 and 63 having a number of pairs of holes such as indicated at 64, 65 and'66 in Figure 8. One pair of these holes 64 is shown. as being adjacentthe hole 65 for the pull chain while the other holes are unevenly spaced about the flange for the purpose to be described. The blank for the supporting device for the socket is illustrated in Figure 9. Here it is indicated in the form of a fiat ring 67 having transverse straps 68 and 69 similar to the straps 32 and 33. The ring 6? is also slitted at 70, 71 and 72 to provide pairs of prongs spaced to fit the slots 64, 65 and 66. \Vhen the blank shown in Figure 9 is formed to shape in the dies, these prongs and uprights extend upwardly at right angles to the plane of the ring 67. In assembling this form of fixture, the prongs 71 and 72 are passed through the holes 6%, 65 and 66 found in the two flanges of the stampings after which the prongs are bent over as indicated at in Figure 7. hen the parts are properly assembled one will then have the two stamped shells and the stamped supporting ring fastened together as a unit withthe upright stampings 68 and 69 in the proper position relative to the pull chain hole 73 to align these parts. The socket and cap may be fas tened in place in the manner that has been previously described in detail.

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 the parts may be in general the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 5. Inasmuch as the flange on the porcelain fixture body 81 is much thicker than the flanges to be found on stamped fixtures, it is preferable to make the socket supporting ring in a slightly different manner. The

members 85. The arms 83 and84lwhen bent to the position shown in Figure 10, corre- :spondv with the members 32 and 83. The members 85' may be bent down around the flange 80 of the porcelain unit as indicated in Figure 10 to anchor these parts in place. In order to align the parts so that-the switch will bein line with the pull chain hole in the porcelain body the flange 80 may be provided with suitable notches to receive the bent over prongs 85. lVhen one desires to support a shade such as indicated at 86, in this form of construction, it is merely necessary to pass the neck 87 of the shade over the lamp socket and fasten it in place by a ring 88 threaded onto the socket shell.

l/Vhile the illustrative examples of structural embodiments of the invention provide for fastening the socket cap on the socket shell in the manner of an ordinary lamp socket, after which the socket supporting device is attached to the socket cap, it is of course obvious that substantially the same results may be attained by fastening the socket shell to the socket support.

hat is claimed is:

1. A lighting fixture comprising a body having an interior flange, a ring carried by and secured to the flange and provided with two upwardly directed straps disposed on opposite sides of the ring, anda lamp socket ex i tending downwardly through said ring and flange and having an end cap detachably and adjustably secured to the upper ends of the straps,

2. he combination with a lighting fixture :body having an interior flange and a lamp socket including a socket shell and socket cap,

the socket being housed in said fixture body and the socket shell passing through the flange, of a socket support comprising a ring carr ed by and secured to the flange and supporting standards carried by the ring, the

standards being detachably and adjustably fastened to the socket cap.

3. A lighting fixture comprising a body having an interior flange anda pull chain hole above the flange, a ring attached to the flange and having two upwardlydirected members, the ring and flange having aligning means so that the members are at predetermined angular relation to the pull chain hole, a lamp socket including a shell, socket cap and enclosed pull chain switch, and devices. for attaching the socket cap to said members to locate the pull chain of the switch in line with the pull chain hole.

4. A lighting fixture comprising a body having an interior flange and a pull chain hole above the flange, a ring attached to the flange and having two upwardly directed members at predetermined angular relation to the pull chain hole, each having holes near their upper ends, and a lamp socket including a shell. cap and enclosed pull chain switch, the cap having prongs cooperative with the holes for attaching the socket to the members and locate the pull chain of the switch in line with the pull chain hole.

5. The combination with a lighting fixture body having an interior flange and a lamp socket having socket contacts and a pull chain switch fixedly enclosed in a socket shell and cap, the cap being capable of being secured to the shell in varying angular relations, of a socket support including a ring fixedly attached to the flange and standards integral with the ring and fixedly attached to the socket cap, the adjustability of the shell and switch relative to the cap and standards being etlected without interference by the standards.

6. A socket support for lighting fixtures comprising a ring through which the shell of a lamp socket may pass, a pair of upwardly extending rigid members integral with the ring and whose upper ends have means for detachably securing them to a socket cap, the cap having cmperative means for effecting such securement, and a plurality of prongs carried by the ring for fastening the ring to a fixture flange.

7. A socket support for lighting fixtures, comprising a ring through which the shell of a lamp socket may pass, a pair of oppositely disposed upwardly extending members having holes near their upper ends to facilitate attaching a socket cap between the members, and a plurality of prongs carried by the ring for fastening the ring to a fixture flange.

The combination with a lighting fixture body having an interior flange and a lamp socket housed in said body and passing through the flange, of a socket support comprising a ring carried by the flange and supporting standards carried by the ring and fastened to the socket cap, the ring having an aligning notch between the standards.

9. A lighting fixture comprising a body having an interior flange, a ring carried by the flange and provided with two upwardly directed members, a lamp socket extending downwardly through said ring and flange and having a metal shell and metal cap detachahly coupled together and enclosing a socket switch, and means for attaching one of the metal parts of the lamp socket to the upright members whereby the socket is supported from the flange in the fixture body.

ISIDORE WOLARSKY. 

